Catching, passing Fouts

Dec. 28, 2008: Rivers threw his 34th touchdown pass of the season, breaking Fouts’ single-season club record of 33 set in 1981.

Sept. 26, 2010: Rivers set a team record with 455 passing yards, 11 more than Fouts threw for twice, in 1980 and ’82.

Oct. 31, 2010: Rivers threw two touchdown passes, his team-record 21st straight game with at least one TD throw. Fouts’ 20-game streak ran from 1979-80. Rivers eventually would run his streak to 23 games.

Dec. 16, 2010: Rivers surpassed 4,000 yards for the third season in a row, joining Fouts as the only Chargers quarterbacks ever to do so. With 4,141 yards, Rivers has an outside shot at Fouts’ team record of 4,802 set in 1981. More likely to be surpassed is Fouts’ 4,715 yards in 1980. Rivers passed for 4,254 yards last season, third most in team history.

The Chargers head coach saw potential and bouts of brilliance as Rivers was compiling numbers in 2007 and ’08 that appeared destined to one day add up to greatness. Turner, however, has high standards for the position and he does not dilute his message with counterfeit compliments.

But Turner’s reluctance has grown a slow leak over the past year or so as Rivers growth has earned admiration.

Recently, Turner verged on emotional, even, when he was asked to put Rivers’ 2010 season in perspective, especially in comparison to that of Hall of Famer Dan Fouts, the Chargers great and a friend of Turner’s since both were quarterbacks at the University of Oregon.

“I was close with Dan and learning as a young coach at (USC), and we used to come down and watch the Chargers if we could, if our season was over or see them in preseason,” Turner recalled of the late 1970s and early ‘80s, when Fouts and head coach Don Coryell were doing unprecedented things with offensive football. “You always watched games, and I always marveled at what Dan did. I was amazed. Air Coryell, it was so legendary. It was such a leader of this type of offense. And it just blows me away, No.1, for me to be a part of it, because I have such high regard for what Coach Coryell and Dan and all those guys did. Every time it comes up, it just amazes me I’m involved in it ... But then I watch Philip doing what Dan did. It’s really incredible – and the circumstances he’s done it with. It says a lot about Philip because I have such regard for Dan and what they accomplished here. To think he’s operating at the same level, it’s pretty impressive.”

This past Thursday, Rivers joined Fouts as the only quarterbacks in Chargers history (and just the sixth in NFL history) to throw for 4,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. It was the latest in a line of franchise marks Fouts has held for decades that Rivers has surpassed, tied or is on track to better.

Fouts, who as a CBS analyst has called four Chargers games this year, has seen in person a couple of his feats matched by Rivers.

“I guess at this point in my life it’s nice for it to be remembered you played,” Fouts said with a laugh.

Seriously, considering the strong affinity Fouts has for all involved, it’s remarkable how he tempers his on-air comments. Away from the broadcast, he is effusive.

“I’m a Rivers fan, a Norv fan, a Chargers fan,” Fouts said. “It’s difficult during a broadcast to be too flowery, if you will, about it. I don’t want to sound like too much of a homer. I’m a fan. I love watching Norv’s teams, and I love watching Philip Rivers play quarterback.”

Rivers seems genuinely humbled by his achievements.

“He’s a Hall of Famer,” Rivers said of Fouts. “Any time you’re mentioned with those guys or have an accomplishment or record that’s up there with those guys ... It won’t get old. I feel that way about playing the game. Once it’s not fun … All that stuff is what makes it special.”

What he’s doing this season has hardly been done before.

Rivers is on pace to throw for 4,733 yards, which would be eighth-best all-time. If he maintains his current passer rating (105.7), interception percentage (2.4) and average yards-per-attempt (8.92) over the final two games, his 2010 would go down as one of the best statistical seasons of all time. Among the seven quarterbacks who have thrown for more than 4,733 yards in a season, just Dan Marino and Tom Brady had a higher rating than Rivers. Only Brady had a lower interception percentage. Only Marino averaged more yards per attempt.

Yet Rivers takes his time when asked how special this season has been to him personally. At 8-6, fighting to make the playoffs, his enjoyment has so far been somewhat blunted. He needs completion before he can truly assess the body of work, but he has high hopes that it will be remembered as epic.

“My answer could be different in a few weeks,” Rivers said. “This could be one of the most memorable seasons just because of the way it’s played out. From the brutal loses we had early to the injuries, figuring out each week who’s going to be up, who’s not going to be up. Fun is the word I use. Some would say it’s been crazy, and it has been. It’s been a fun year. It’s been a challenge year. It’s been a lot of things.”

Rivers steers almost every reply about his own play into a reason he is grateful to have his offensive line and a seemingly endless supply of receivers he says “the game is not too big for.”

But like Turner, Fouts also praises Rivers for the “circumstances” in which he has produced .

Rivers has been without his No.1 wide receiver (Vincent Jackson) for all but the past two games, without his favorite target (Antonio Gates) for four of the past six games. Malcom Floyd, the team’s yardage leader the first month-and-a-half of the season, has played in four of the past eight games. Patrick Crayton emerged as a reliable big-play receiver and then busted his wrist and hasn’t played in four games. Buster Davis is on injured reserve. Legedu Naanee has been hurt most of the past two months. In all, Rivers has thrown to a league-high 17 different receivers.

It is all that and more that impresses Fouts, and it makes it unsurprising to him that Turner is so pleased.

“When you’ve got a quarterback who’s facing tough situations with new receivers and all the things Rivers has gone through and kept his play at a high level and doesn’t make excuses …” Fouts said. “This is an emotional game. The relationship of head coach and quarterback is a special one, especially when you’ve been with him and seen him develop and you’re just so proud.”